Hotel de Paree Cast

Earl Holliman, who would go on to play Lt. Bill Crowley in Police Woman, appeared in this show as a fella just released from 17 years in prison for accidentally killing a man. (Holliman was 31 at the time so do THAT math!) Returning to the same town, he becomes a partner in a hotel in Georgetown, Colorado. Which you should know, was operated by two lovely relatives of the dead guy. And he was a man with a gimmick. His hatband was circled with shiny oval discs that could blind an adversary.

And as for Strother Martin, he is perhaps best known as Percy Garris in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Jeanette Nolan was married to John McIntire of Wagon Train. They appeared together in the Virginian.

Passings

Strother Martin died in 1980 of a heart attack, and Jeanette Nolan in 1988 of a stroke.

The Deputy Cast

Henry Fonda’s first venture into TV. (The Smith Family in 1971 was his other.) He played the Marshal in Silver City, Arizona, although he was responsible for several other towns as well. His Deputy was a storekeeper who preferred to settle problems without gunplay.

Law of the Plainsman Cast

In the New Mexico Territory of the 1880s, Apache born Marshal Buckhart was a unique individual. He had nursed back to health a calvalry captain who had been wounded in an Indian ambush. So grateful was the captain that upon his death, he financed young Buck Heart (as he was known to the Apache) in an education which culminated at Harvard.

Upon his return to his native New Mexico, he went to work for Marshal Morrison in Sante Fe. Buckheart brought a respect for both Indian and white cultures to the work.

Martha ran the boardinghouse where he lived and Tess was an orphan he rescued from a stagecoach accident.

Note: Chuck Simms writes that “The Marshal Sam Buckhart character spun off an episode of the Rifleman in which Sam apprehended a couple of murderers in North Fork.” Good to know. Thanks Chuck!

Passings

Michael Ansara would play his Law of the Plainsman character of Marshal Sam Buckhart in two Rifleman epsiodes. “The Indian” (episode # 1.21) February 17, 1959 and “The Raid” (episode # 1.37) June 9,1959.

Swamp Fox

10/1959 – 1/1961 ABC Color – 60 minutes – 8 episodes

“My name is Francis Marion. I fought the British Redcoats in 76. Hiding in the Carolina swamps by day, surprising them with swift strikes at night. They called me a tricky swamp fox. So, a Swamp Fox I became…”

This show was another attempt by Disney as part of Wonderful World of Color to recreate the success of Davy Crockett. They even gave the lead a foxtail for his hat, but I guess there are just so many furry caps a kid can own.

Based on the real life story of General Francis Marion, a Revolutionary War hero who fought the British in his native Carolina swamps, the show provided great adventure and a dollop of history.

Man From Blackhawk

10/9/1959 – 9/23/1960 ABC Black and White – 30 minutes – 37 episodes

Man From Blackhawk Cast

Robert Rockwell as Sam Logan

This show had an original idea! The hero was an insurance investigator. He worked for the Chicago based Blackhawk Insurance Company but traveled around the country searching out fraud. He dressed in city clothes and while he didn’t shoot a gun, he did get in a few fist fights.

Wichita Town Cast

Real life father and son, Joel and Jody McCrea played marshal and deputy in Wichita, Kansas Territory. Marshal Dunbar had led a cattle drive to Wichita and decided to settle there. Deputy Matheson had been foreman at the Circle J Ranch and Rodriguez had been a gunfighter. MacLinahan was the smithy and Kingston was a bartender.

Passings

Joel McCrea died in 1990 of pulmonary complications. Foulk died and 1989 and Neise died in 1997 of cancer.

Johnny Ringo Cast

In Velardi, Arizona Johnny Ringo was gunfighter turned lawman. Case Thomas, a man who loved his whiskey, owned the general store. His daughter Laura was well, hot, for Johnny and pursued him rather doggedly.

There really was a gunfighter turned lawman named Johnny Ringo in the 1880s but this show was fictionalized.

Mike George writes – Ringo had a special pistol – in some “ficticious way” the pistol had been altered to fit a single .410 shotgun round. I seem to remember one episode where some desperadoes emptied his gun. They didn’t know about the “secret” chamber, and he was able to defend himself. Thanks for the info, Mike!

BJ Northon adds that in real life the gun existed and was called a LaMat revolver and actually carried a 16 guage shell. Wow I guess there’s a little reality in most television. Thanks BJ!

The deputy, Cully, would get a better job as Don West on Lost in Space!

Passings

Terrence De Marney died in 1971.

Don Durant passed away in 2007 of a lengthy battle with chronic lymphocytic leukemia Thank you to NM for that info.

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